Abused
by TrinityAyame
Summary: Yuffie was once a very happy, young girl with lots of ambitions until she was forced to marry for the good of Wutai into a loveless, abusive relationship. She just can't help but think of better times with a certain red-eyed friend.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: So I recently re-beat ff7 for the heck of it, and then played ff7 Crisis Core for the first time and holy hell did that one make me cry! Anyway, suddenly I'm back on this whole ff7 kick that I haven't been on since I last played that game, which was years and years ago….

So I got this idea for a story and kept looking for a fanfic about it and couldn't find one. So I decided to write it instead. Hope you enjoy it.

Disclaimer: I've often wondered if we actually have to do this or if someone just started it and we all followed suit. Hmm, anyway, I do not own this game or any of the characters….

* * *

The brown-eyed girl stared in the mirror, her body looked pale and gaunt. Her eyes had sunken in and her long ebony locks felt thin. It had been five years since she last saw her friends, she was now just a pale rendition of her former self. She used to be strong, a true ninja, fighting for the world, not just once, but twice. She used to spend her days chasing after foes and living the true adventure life, but that had all changed, those days were long gone.

Her life ended when she found out she would have to marry to rule her country. And when it came to her country, her love life forfeited the right to her heart. She had grown up knowing that she would one day rule, always planning on how she could better her country, never understanding the costs.

She knew the law had always been there, but didn't think it applied to her. Her father never mentioned marriage before, it was always about how she could better herself as a ninja, as a ruler, but never marriage. It hadn't been so bad in the beginning, the man her father and the elders had chosen was kind. He had a strong presence, everyone instantly knew he had arrived and meant business. It did well for the country's morale, to have two strong people leading. In the beginning of their courtship, he was very protective, defending her to the public and worrying every time she left to help out her friends and the WRO. It was only after the formal ceremony did she realize it was about control, control of her, and control of her country.

It began with a slap, but she could handle that, she was a seasoned warrior after all. Unfortunately, so was he…

He started berating her, controlling her funds, never telling her when people visited for her. She became isolated from the public, suddenly never being "required" to attend any of the meetings. In the beginning, she would run to her father, but nothing would change. He would make excuses, saying that her husband needed to let the elders that he was also in control, and gain their trust. They hadn't grown up with him like they had her. She wouldn't say anything else on the matter, and soon she was no longer consulted about anything. Whenever they had a terrible fight, she ran to her father who would convince her it was her duty to stay with him, to be patient with him. She would go back.

It only got worse, soon her people began to forget she even existed. They never saw her and she began fading into the background. She shut out her friends, afraid what they would think of her, afraid of what might happen to her if she said anything. So she didn't, and soon, they forgot her as well.

One night, she broke, couldn't take it anymore. This is where she stood, in the bathroom, looking at her body, deformed with more then battle scars. The newest being the giant laceration across her lower back, her memory haunting her.

"Who do you think is going to rescue you, you piece of trash!" Her husband yelled angrily. He grabbed her hair and yanked her off the ground, pushing her against the wall, "Your not worth the dirt you walk on, you lazy bitch." He leaned in and whispered, "You should pray to leviathan how lucky you are that you have me." Dropping her on the ground, the girl crumbled, angry tears sliding down her face. She wanted to fight back, but didn't have the energy.

He turned to walk away, laughing quietly to himself, as if she had amused him. It made her so angry to have him mocking her, that her marriage had reduced her to tears and bruises and even Sephiroth hadn't managed that. "I will pray that Leviathan takes you to hell!" She yelled after him.

He did a quick u-turn and quickly strode over to her, grabbing her by the hair and pulling her off the ground. She gasped in pain, grabbing at his hands. "You're going to regret that…" He said it so softly that fear swept over her, panic mode setting in.

'run…' was her last thought before he set into her.

And then she blacked out...

The black haired girl shook her head, not wanting to relive that moment anymore. She continued to stare at her body in the mirror, looking at what all the abuse had done to her. She hardly recognized herself.

"I am Yuffie Kisaragi, the wilting white rose of Wutai…"

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A/N: I know, super depressing… Trust me, it gets happier. Most stories about Yuffie tend to be super happy and fluffy, so I went the opposite route.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: This chapter ended up being a little longer then I had planned, I originally wasn't going to include as much in this chapter but I figured, what the hell! Might as well, right?

Disclaimer: Do not own, it's true, I checked…

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Never had Yuffie been so nervous in her entire life, and she hasn't had a very boring life. Any second, her husband, Jiro could walk in and see what she was doing. For that matter, any of her guards could walk in, they were just as bad, and she knew whose side they were on.

Yuffie tied her waist length hair into a blue ribbon, not wanting it to get in the way should the need arise to fight or run. She dressed herself in jeans and a flowing top, hoping to hide her many scars. She packed a small bag with her stuff, leaving most of it behind, only the bare essentials, change of clothes, money she'd managed to steal over the course of 9 months, some keepsakes. Everything else she said goodbye too silently, never wanting to ever come back, no matter how much she loved her home.

The ebony haired woman crept quietly out of the building, managing to avoid most of the sleepy guards at the late hour. Luckily, her ninja abilities weren't that rusty. She knew her time was limited, Jiro would go into her room a second time with a meaningless apology and see her missing.

She had made arrangements with a pilot yesterday; she didn't want to make it that far in advanced not wanting word to get out. Although she had used an alias, she learned to never trust people, especially men.

When she finally reached the flying vehicle, she was greeted by a nice old man, who's mumbling could hardly be discerned, but she didn't care. Her nervousness practically pushed the man on board as he talked her through procedure and cost.

Her nerves didn't calm down until they were in the air. When it dawned on her that she hadn't told the pilot where she wanted to go.

She hadn't really thought that far, not really certain she would make it this far. She would love to see her friends, but it had been so long, Yuffie wasn't even sure where they lived currently, although they didn't seem like the type of people to move around a lot. But the answer that came to her lips surprised her.

"Nibelheim."

* * *

Entering Nibelheim again was strange, it had been so long since she had been there and she wasn't even sure what she was doing there. It all still looked the same, some new houses here and there, but almost everything was exactly as she remembered. 'I wonder if Cloud and Tifa ever came back to live here…' Somehow, she doubted that.

Heading over to the quaint inn, Yuffie went to open the door and realized it was locked. "What the!" Pushing at the handle again, nothing would budge. "How can you be closed, you're an inn…" She mumbled out loud to herself.

Yuffie strolled around the building, trying to see if anyone was inside but the building was dark. "stupid small town, closing shit just because no one came…" Yuffie felt a little hopeless but wasn't about to sleep outside in the open, it would be too easy for Jiro to find her.

'Hmm, I wonder if the Shinra Mansion is still here.' She didn't really want to go over there, at night, by herself, with all the monsters, and possibly a red-eyed man waiting for her. She knew that she didn't really have a choice, breaking into a building was out of the question, especially since she needed to lay low.

Shinra Mansion was indeed, still in existence, and surprisingly well-kept. It didn't look like anyone lived there though, and all the doors were still unlocked so Yuffie opened the large doors and went inside.

"Hello?" Her footsteps echoed in the large foyer, "Anyone home?" No answer, "The inn is closed and I thought that maybe I could spend the night here…. Hope that's alright…?" The house was as quiet as ever, however there were no monsters here anymore so that was a relief, Yuffie hadn't grabbed any of her weapons, those had been confiscated years ago.

She went up the carpeted steps and went to the left, not really wanting to be close to the dungeon that lurked on the right. She opened all the doors and didn't see anyone or any sign of someone living there, so she figured she was okay.

Yuffie suddenly felt the weight of the day, knowing that she made this far and was still alive. She layed down on the bed and fell asleep hard.

Her first thought when the brown-eye woman woke up was, 'someone's watching me.' At that point she opened her eyes slowly, waiting for Jiro to jump out and attack her. Instead she only saw the door…

'Must have been my imagination…' She thought to herself before closing her eyes and calming her fast beating heart.

"What are you doing here?" A low grumble interrupted her thoughts.

Yuffie looked up and saw a man standing in the corner, Yuffie yelled in surprise.

"Cloud!"

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A/N: I know, cliffhanger, but I figured since you guys have been dialog deprived I would spice it up at the end. Don't worry plenty more spice where that came from. I'm actually really excited to see where this goes. Isn't that weird, considering I'm writing it, you'd think I'd have a master plan or something. Well I guess that's for me to know and you to find out!

Comment!


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Do not own…

"Long time no see, how are you?" Cloud asked nonchalantly, leaning his muscular frame against the wall.

"Oh my god! I'm good! How are you?" Yuffie leaped out of the bed and ran over to Cloud, enveloping him into a warm hug. Cloud hugged her back awkwardly.

"I'm good. How long have you been here? Aren't you supposed to be in Wutai?" Yuffie let go and turned around, facing the opposite wall. She wasn't even sure how to begin her story. She didn't even want too.

She grabbed at her collar, making sure that it was covering her various bruises and cuts. "I just needed… time away. I only just got here." Then it dawned on her, "Wait a minute! What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be in Edge with Tifa?"

Cloud looked at her with bemusement, like they were blaming each other for something when there was nothing to blame. "I was in RocketTown visiting Cid and Shera. Thought I'd stop by here on my way back…" He left the thought hanging, not really sure why he came back here, never having a desire too before.

"Oh… I haven't seen them in awhile, how are they?"

Cloud's eyes flashed with inquisitiveness, "You haven't seen anyone in awhile…" Yuffie hung her head in shame, "They're good. Happy."

"Good…"

Yuffie looked at her friend; the one she had saved the world with, twice, and didn't know what to say. It was as if they didn't know each other anymore, and that thought made her situation seem more hopeless then before. "Well…" She grabbed her sack that was lying on the floor, "I guess I ought to go then." Heading towards the door, she didn't turn around to face Cloud, afraid he would see the despondent look on her face. "See you around Cloud."

He couldn't believe his ears; Yuffie was leaving even though this is the first time that they have seen each other in years. Tifa would kill him if she found out. "…" Unfortunately, Cloud was never the talking type, and making someone stay wasn't really his forte. He let Yuffie walk out of the room, and out of his foreseeable future.

Cloud stared at the bed, where he had laid years before, not being able to ask for help, but having someone there knowing he needed it. His best friend and comrade Zack had carried his ass across the continent without asking for his help and Cloud would be damned if he let Yuffie walk out of his life with so much as an explanation for her disappearance.

Grunting, Cloud pushed himself off the wall and ran out of the room, down the stairs to catch her. "Yuffie! Wait!" He yelled after her. Yuffie turned in surprise. Unfortunately, he hadn't thought it through, and had no idea what to tell Yuffie now that he had gotten here. 'I really should have brought Tifa…' was his only thought as they stared at each other. Yuffie used to do all the talking; he hadn't realized how much he missed it until he had to come up with the conversation. "….Where are you going?"

The green-eyed girl had no idea where she planned on going next, she kind of hoped on staying in Nibelheim, but didn't feel comfortable with someone knowing where she was. "Umm… I wasn't really sure." Cloud looked at her with confusion, Yuffie quickly covered up "I figured I'd commune with nature! Ya know, the ninja way!" She smiled brightly, hoping he wouldn't notice.

'Think quick Cloud. C'mon, you can save the world twice but you can't have a full conversation… You can't just leave her, something's not right…'

Yuffie studied the man having an obvious conflict in his head, 'not much has changed'. "Well, if you're heading back to edge, why don't we head through the mountain together?" Yuffie suggested, thinking the company might not be so bad. Plus, Cloud was a good ally in a pinch.

"Uh, yeah, good idea. I have to get my stuff from the inn, why don't you pick up some food for the both of us?"

"Sure, just leave the shopping to me!" Yuffie skipped off, feeling a lot happier then before.

Cloud continued over to the inn, pulling his cell phone out of his pocket as soon as Yuffie was out of earshot. "Hey Tifa, its Cloud..."

* * *

Cloud and Yuffie met by the water tower, and then set out on their journey together. Yuffie felt extremely nervous, not really sure what to say, or if she should tell him why she disappeared. Cloud was cursing the day he told Tifa to stay home instead of coming with him on this trip when she had offered. She was a much better people person. "So... How's your husband?" Cloud asked, 'damn it, what was his name? I'm a terrible friend, I can't even remember her husbands name…'

"Jiro's fine." Her voice was flat. Cloud was taken aback by her lack of emotion.

"Did you guys argue before you…. Needed time off….?" He wasn't even sure how to word the question, and knew as soon as it came out that this was definitely Tifa's domain.

"….." Yuffie wasn't sure how to answer, nor did she really want to. "How long until we get to the end?"

"Just a day"

Silence.

They walked for hours like that, talking very little to each other. Yuffie knew she could make more of an effort, but it was like she lost her will. They didn't know each other anymore. 'Cloud probably doesn't even care what's going on. We use to have a good friendship, but that ended when the world lived on.' Yuffie found herself getting more and more upset as she argue in her head.

Suddenly, an arrow whirled passed her, waking her from her reverie. "What the!" Cloud's Sword appeared quickly in his hands, as if he had been carrying it the entire time. Ten soldiers dressed in a red and black uniform burst from the trees and start attacking cloud with a fury. Yuffie scrambled to get behind Cloud and huddled against a tree, watching him fight the soldiers with ease, as if they were still fighting for the world.

One soldier ran towards Cloud, his sword raised above his head. Cloud deftly knocked him away before another was coming at his side. He sliced his sword through the guy's chest, blood poured out of his body, Cloud moved quickly to the side so he wouldn't trip on the body and started to fight against the other eight soldiers. Sweat appeared on his brow but one could see he wasn't worried, they were no match for him. "Cloud behind you!" Yuffie screeched as one soldier started towards her, Cloud whipped around and stabbed the guy through the heart , all the other soldiers stood back, stunned at the move. He pushed the body off of his sword before grabbing a dagger and impaling the soldier closest to him.

"Anyone else?" Cloud asked the last three soldiers nonchalantly. They realized they were not going to win, they retreated quickly into the forest. Cloud turned to Yuffie, who was still huddled against the tree, he raised his eyebrows at her, "Why are Wutai soldiers attacking us?... And where's your shuriken?"

"I…I didn't bring my shuriken…"

"You came out into the wilderness and didn't bring a weapon?" He didn't believe his ears, Yuffie never went anywhere without at least one star.

"I…. I guess I didn't think I would be attacked by soldiers."

"Yeah…. Weren't those Wutai soldiers that attacked us?" Cloud was getting frustrated by Yuffie's lack of concern over her safety and situation. You'd think a queen would be more concerned when their attacked by their own soldiers.

"Yeah, maybe they thought you kidnapped me." Yuffie got off from the tree and dusted herself off.

Cloud had started to clean his blade, he turned to Yuffie in surprise "Why would they think that?"

"Because I didn't tell anyone I was leaving…"

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Alright, I'm sorry this chapter took me a bit to write, mostly because I wasn't sure how to approach it… Plus, Cloud is a difficult person to write about, since he doesn't say much, all in his head ya know. I know some people like to brighten him up a bit in their stories but I always loved the despondent, whiney Cloud better. I'm weird, I know. Just wait until a certain red-eyed character joins, if there's one character that has more inner turmoil, it's him!

Stay tuned for next chapter, lots of good happenings there!


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Still don't own

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"Because I didn't tell anyone I was leaving…"

Cloud stared at her in disbelief. Not only did she come out into the wilderness with no weapon, but she didn't tell anyone she was leaving? Cloud felt himself get angry at her lack of forethought.

"Yuffie, what the hell? Why wouldn't you tell anyone you were going? Your husband's probably worried sick and your father, who knows what he'll do!" Cloud yelled at Yuffie, throwing his hands up in the air. "Those soldiers had to die to come rescue someone who doesn't even need to be rescued!" The bodies littered the grounds around them; Yuffie shuttered and shied away from the bloodied mess.

Cloud finally turned around and noticed Yuffie had sunk into the ground, clutching her sides, her body shaking. "Yu… Yuffie, I'm sorry…" He walked over to her, reaching out to pat her arm. She shied away from his touch, shaking even harder. "Hey…" He reached over to touch her arm again.

"don't touch me" she whispered, tears slipping out of her eyes.

"Yuffie, I'm sorry. Talk to me." Cloud admonished, feeling the guilt sweep over him. He put his arm around her, expecting her to fall and cry into his arms.

"…don't hurt me…" She said it so quietly, that Cloud wasn't even sure he heard it correctly.

"Yuffie…" The blond haired boy sat there, knowing that Yuffie just needed to be alone. Her eyes became distant, not focusing on the scenery around them, but on something more sinister going on in her mind.

They sat like that for a while, but Cloud was getting nervous that they hadn't moved away from the battle site. There were more soldiers coming, of that Cloud was certain. He turned towards Yuffie, she was still in the same position, her fingertips had turned white from clutching so hard to her sides. "Yuffie, I'm sorry, but we have to leave. It's not safe here." Cloud wrapped his arm around her waist, attempting to pick her up from the ground. Yuffie screech and struggled to get out of his grasp,

"Get away from me!" She yelled into the trees, Cloud let her go and watched her run into the middle of all the wreckage.

Cloud yelled after the black haired girl, "Yuffie what is going on?" She continued to swat at the air, fighting off invisible demons. Her eyes suddenly got really wide, her mouth twisted as if to yell something, but nothing came out. With that, she fell to ground, unconscious.

"Yuffie!" Cloud ran over to her body, shaking her but got no response.

"Yuffie, wake up!"

* * *

Yuffie heard someone's voice first, but couldn't really discern what they were saying. She felt like she was floating around the sound waves, unable to grasp what was going on. It felt like hours before she was able to tell that it was a woman's voice. Then she realized it was a man and a woman's voice. There were two people.

They sounded familiar, the woman was hissing at the man angrily, but she couldn't tell why. 'The man sounds confused, wait, there are two men…' Yuffie concentrated as hard as she could to figure out what was going on, and then suddenly, her mind cleared. Vision opened up to two men, and a woman talking angrily to each other.

"Cid! We are heading back to Edge, and that's final! I will not hear another argument from you Cloud, since you're the reason this happened in the first place… Now get out of here so I can tend to my patient." The woman had flowing black hair and piercing brown eyes. She closed the door after the two men and then turned towards Yuffie. "You're awake?" She walked over to her side and sat in the blue chair next to the bed. "How do you feel?"

"I feel…. tired." Tifa smiled as she put her hand on the younger girl's forehead. Her temperature felt normal but Tifa felt a little nervous, not knowing what caused her to faint in the first place.

"I bet… So what happened out there? Cloud was pretty much useless with details as to why you would have fainted. I found a couple of cuts and stuff on your body but nothing too extensive. Cloud swears you didn't fight anyone though."

Yuffie grabbed the blanket to covered her bruised arms, not sure how to explain them off to Tifa. "I, uh… There was one soldier that got around and attacked me but Cloud didn't really see it. He ran away with the rest of them."

"Hmm. I wonder why they attacked you…"

Yuffie blanched and tried to cover up, "Well, he didn't so much attack me as try to force me to go with them."

Tifa looked at Yuffie with a raised eyebrow but didn't say much more on the topic. "Alright, well I'm going to write off the fainting as stress induced. Cloud said you had a lot of anxiety on the trip through the mountain, and after the battle especially." Her eyes probed the younger girl's, Yuffie tried to stay as neutral as possible.

"That would make sense. It's been awhile since I've left Wutai and all. Or even fought anyone." Yuffie scratched the back of her head, chuckling uneasily, hoping Tifa wouldn't notice her nervousness.

Tifa sighed and grabbed Yuffie's hand to stop her from scratching. "So how are you?"

"I'm good. Just been busy with, you know, running the country and such."

"Well I'm glad you were able to take time off." Yuffie stayed silent, not sure what to say to that. Knowing Tifa was looking for more information but not willing to ask.

"Listen, I don't know what's going on, but maybe you should contact your husband, so they at least don't come attacking our house." Yuffie stared at her hands, afraid to look into her friend's all knowing eyes. "You're welcome to stay with us in Edge as long as you like. That's where Cid is taking us now."

"Thank you, I'll just stay there a day and then I'll get out of your hair." Yuffie let go of Tifa's hand and climbed out of the bed. She grabbed her jacket from the back of Tifa's chair and tugged it out from behind her. She pulled it on and headed for the door. Her mind and body felt weak but she was determined to act and look strong.

Tifa grabbed her wrist and forced Yuffie to turn around and look at her in the eyes. "I'm not telling you to leave. I want you to stay and your going to stay until you get better. If you don't want to talk to your husband, you don't have to." Tifa smiled her very calming smile, and hugged Yuffie tightly. Yuffie blinked back tears, happy to have someone to hug.

"Now c'mon, we're going to land soon. I can't wait for you to see Marlene and Denzel, they have gotten so big!"

Tifa grabbed Yuffie's hand tightly and dragged her out of the room.

When they arrived at the bar, a little girl around ten years old ran out of the house. "They're here Denzel!" Marlene's brown hair was tied in a pony tail with the same pink ribbon she always wore. Denzel sauntered out slowly; he was 12 years old and starting to grow some muscles.

Tifa smiled, "You remember Yuffie right?"

"Of course! Hi Yuffie!" Marlene's cheery self went up to Yuffie and gave her a big hug before glaring at Tifa for treating her "like a child".

"Hey…" Denzel nodded his head towards Yuffie.

"I see you're rubbing off on him Cloud." Yuffie laughed as she went up to hug Denzel, he hugged her back awkwardly.

Tifa laughed at Yuffie's statement and then ushered everyone inside for some good food and beer.

Yuffie sat back, enjoying the calming atmosphere with her long lost friends, Tifa, Cloud, Cid, Marlene and Denzel. The bar hadn't really changed much; it still had its dark wood finishes and low lighting. Tifa had added pictures on the wall of her growing family, they looked really happy. Yuffie looked back at the table, examining her friends. Cid sat back, relaxed, yelling, trying to make a point that most people just ignored. Tifa and Cloud sat next to each other, never touching, but every once in awhile, Cloud would smile quietly at Tifa.

"So tell us Yuffie? What the hell have you been up to? Got some new friends over there in Wutai?" Cid's boisterous voice snapped Yuffie out of her reverie.

Yuffie wrung her hands in nervousness, "Unless you count diplomats…" She laughed nervously, "I've mostly just been working, ya know." She smiled at him, trying to gain back her youthful laughter that would brighten up room. Nothing…

"Sure, I get it. You just got too fancy for the likes of us! Can't be hanging with peasants when the power players call." Cid mocked her, his deafening laugh filling the room.

Yuffie couldn't believe it, She had barely been back an hour and already she was the brunt of Cid's jokes. "Well I got a country to run you 'ole bastard! You're just mad cause you got the ole' ball and chain holding you back." At that, everyone burst into laughter. Marlene spewed milk out her nose as Denzel patted her on the back, chuckling quietly.

Cid clapped Yuffie on the back good-naturedly and said, "Good to have you back Yuffie!"

It was like a giant weight had been lifted off her back, she finally felt like she belonged in that room, even if it was just for a moment. As it got later, Tifa ushered Cid to the door, knowing Shera wouldn't be happy if he stayed out too long, and sent the two kids to bed.

"Yuffie, we have a spare bedroom for you. I put some of my clothes in there so you'd have something else to sleep in. Tomorrow we'll go shopping." Tifa grabbed Yuffie's hand and led her up the stairs.

Yuffie stopped her and looked her in the eyes, "Thank you Tifa. I appreciate everything you've done for me."

Tifa smiled down at the short girl, squeezing her hand a little. "That's what friends are for."

* * *

A/N: So this chapter took a longer time to write, partly because it's a longer chapter and partly because I was having problems writing it. I haven't really written anything in a long time and its coming to my attention that after such a long hiatus, it's difficult to just pick up and write a story. I'm doing my best though.

I also feel like I should tell you guys that I've never played Dirge of Cerberus so although I've read the basics of what's happened in the story (in preparation), I might make mistakes when it comes to that just because I haven't played that game. Although I don't plan on referencing it, just thought you should know.

Anyways, lots of good stuff happening next!


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Do not own. Never did, never will.

A/N: I just wanted to take a moment and thank everyone for the reviews. It truly makes me happy to see that people enjoy the story and gives me a burst of inspiration every time I get one. Thank you so much for the advice and encouragement.

* * *

Yuffie felt a chill arise from the dark street. It was empty of all beings, dank and dismal, empty of all life and feeling. She shivered slightly and pulled her scarf around her body. Her feet echoed on the cobblestones as she continued to walk down the middle of the street. She felt exposed, as if someone could jump out at her at any moment.

She tried to muffle the sound of her steps, stepping lightly and avoiding rocks. It was like someone was breathing down her neck, but when she looked around, no one was there. 'Where is everyone?' She thought hopelessly to herself.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a shadow creep along a dark alley. She turned quickly, but the shadow was gone, replaced with the shadow of the building. She stared harder at the spot, willing for the shadow to be there, but afraid of what that shadow might bring.

'I'm going crazy…' She sighed to herself, finally moving past the alley and continuing down the street. When she swore she saw the shadow in her peripheral vision again. She turned her head to the right but saw nothing. Her nerves getting the better of her, she started to walk faster; she just knew if she got to the end of the street she would be safe.

Then she felt it, the dreaded cold chill on the back of her neck, only this time it wasn't the wind. She turned to see black eyes staring down at her, a sneer appearing on his face. Yuffie screamed bloody murder and turned to run down the street, but the hand held her back. She struggled against her restraint, clawing at his skin, his eyes, anything to get away.

His clammy, pale hands grasped her arms, as his face dipped lower and lower, his teeth showing menacingly.

Then suddenly, it was dark, and Yuffie found herself lying in the spare bedroom at 7th Heaven. Her body and her hands were shaking profusely. Her muscles felt weak, as if she had actually been fighting her demon.

Yuffie leaned over and grabbed her cell phone off the oak nightstand. Flipping it open, the time flashed glaringly into her eyes.

5:47 AM

Yuffie sighed and closed her cell phone, laying her head against the downy pillow. She laid there for what seemed like twenty minutes—which was actually only five—thinking about those haunting eyes. Her dream felt so vivid and although she hated to admit it, it had frightened her.

Giving up on her elusive slumber, Yuffie got out of bed and pulled on the same clothes she wore the day before, not really having anything else to wear. She opened her bedroom door and snuck downstairs and out the backdoor, not wanting to wake anyone else up this early. She hadn't yet been to the backyard but she realized that this was the home part of the bar, it was a fenced in yard with a small garden, green grass and a lone swing hanging from a large oak tree. Yuffie headed straight for the swing, needing the time and air to clear her mind from the terrible nightmare.

The young girl couldn't believe how much has changed since she last saw Tifa and Cloud. She remembered when they just barely built the place, now it had become their home. She imagined Marlene swinging and laughing with Cloud, Tifa and Denzel picnicking on the porch. Yuffie found herself extremely envious and a little sad that she hadn't found something like that for herself.

Her own life was in shambles, beginning with her marriage, and ending with her country. It was as if Leviathan had planned against her and ended everything happy in her life, including her friendships. She didn't even know where to go, and if she should stay with Tifa. They were kind enough to let her stay but she was endangering them and their kids, Tifa knew that, even if she would never tell Yuffie to leave. She was disrupting their lovely life, when they had finally found peace in the dismal world; it felt wrong for her to ruin it.

"I just don't know where to go!" Yuffie yelled into the night, releasing all the emotions that she's been hiding inside herself for what was years.

"Leaving already…" A dark voice stopped Yuffie cold, scaring her out of her thoughts and into the present day.

The dark haired girl glanced up to find a dark man in a crimson cape leaning against the fence, his clothing moving slightly in the wind. "V…Vincent… What are you doing here?" Yuffie didn't move out of the swing, she was afraid it was a mirage, her mind playing tricks on her as it often did when she needed to escape from the cold harsh reality.

"I think the better question, is what are you doing here?" His voice was cold, just like it was the last time she saw him, five years ago.

"That's none of your business." Yuffie tried too mimic his coldness but found her voice cracking in the middle with emotion.

"Likewise" He said.

"How've you been? It's been…"

Before Yuffie could finish the sentence, Vincent interjected, "five years".

"Yeah" The girl's voice came out breathy and her hands started to hurt from clutching the chains so hard. She wondered how it was possible that Vincent could stand there all stoic-like and not have an ounce of emotion on his face.

"Good… I saw that you went missing on the news."

Yuffie blanched at the change of subject, "I, I'm, on the news?" Her voice stuttered in surprise, she searched Vincent's face for an answer.

Vincent ignored her comment and continued on, "I never figured you the type to abandon your country." Vincent's face remained as disciplined as ever, his eyes staring intently at Yuffie.

She jumped out of the swing at the accusation, "I didn't abandon my country!" Vincent said nothing, his gaze following the short girl as she walked angrily towards him. "You of all people should know that." She stopped just short of him, glaring up at him, feeling the need to take his arrogance on.

"All I know is that you've abandoned before…" His voice was flat, betraying the anger he felt from the last time they had talked.

"That's not fair…" Yuffie turned away, her voice breaking, not wanting to face him.

The door on the side of the house opened, Tifa poked her head out, "Yuffie! Breakfast is rea, Vincent! What are you doing here?" Her voice remained cheerful, but she could feel the tension between Yuffie and the dark man.

"I need to see Strife."

"Okay, well come inside and get some food and I'll get Cloud." Tifa smiled and grabbed Yuffie's hand, dragging her inside, Vincent following from behind.

The kitchen smelled of pancakes. Marlene and Denzel sat at the counter, stuffing their faces, syrup dripping from their forks onto the counter top. "Vincent!" Marlene yelled, jumping off the stool and hugged Vincent. He hugged her back with one arm and smiled slightly, finding it difficult to keep his controlled facade around her.

"Hey Marlene, Denzel" He nodded towards the boy before taking his signature pose against the far wall.

"Yuffie! Come get some pancakes, their super good!"

"Thanks Marlene but I'm going to go take a shower. I'll eat some later." Yuffie patted the girl on the head before heading up the creaking steps, ignoring the dark figure haunting her peripheral vision.

She grabbed a towel that Tifa had laid out for her the day before and headed to the bathroom. She stripped quickly and hopped into the shower, finally letting the hot tears fall from her eyes.

* * *

Loud knocking broke Yuffie out of her trance. The water had turned tepid and she hardly noticed. "Occupied!" She yelled angrily.

The knocking persisted, getting louder and louder. Yuffie shut off the water in a huff, she wrapped herself in a towel and threw open the door. "What!" Her hair dripped all over the floor and steam blew through the doorway.

Tifa stood at the door, her arm raised to knock on the door again, "He's gone now, you can come out".

"I don't know what you're talking about." She attempted to close the bathroom door but Tifa and her ridiculously strong arm forced it open again.

"Yuffie, you've been in there for more then an hour."

"So, I just like long showers." With that, Yuffie huffed out of the restroom and walked next door to the guest room, and slammed the door shut. The noise echoed throughout the building, Marlene and Denzel got really quiet in the next room, feeling the tension in the air.

"Fine, but next time you feel like taking a 'long shower' go to a hotel because we only have ONE BATHROOM!" With that, Tifa went into her room and slammed the door. She knew it was childish but she couldn't help but be upset. All those years apart had worked; they were truly apart in mind. That was the hardest part to swallow.

When Tifa felt she could no longer sit idle, she got out of bed and went to see Marlene and Denzel in the family room. Marlene sat with Cloud on the couch, leaning her head against a pillow; Denzel sat on the floor in front. Tifa felt that she had at least done something right, bringing this wonderful family together.

Cloud sensed her presence and looked up, "Hey." He got up slowly from his seat, Marlene protested a little but he promised her would be back to see the end and she settled down after that.

"Feeling better?" Tifa smiled sadly and just leaned into his body, Cloud's arm instinctively went around her. She laid her forehead against his chest, grateful for his comforting embrace.

"I am now. Did you hear?"

"No, I was in the garage working on Fenrir. Marlene and Denzel told me. They were worried."

Tifa pulled away and looked at Cloud with big worried eyes, "Oh no! I'll go talk to them" and before she could work herself into a frenzy, Cloud chuckled lightly, stopping her.

"I already took care of it." She raised an eyebrow in disbelief.

"How?"

Grabbing her hand, he led her to the kitchen table. "I told them that Yuffie is having a difficult time right now and that you're frustrated that you can't help her." Cloud sat down on a chair, pulling Tifa onto his lap.

Tifa instantly protested, "You can't tell them that!" She attempted to stand up but he resisted, pulling her arm towards him.

"Do you remember when Denzel had Geostigma, well Denzel and I?" Tifa looked at him in surprise; they never really talked about those horrid memories. It had been hard on the both of them.

She nodded. "They knew how frustrated you were when you couldn't help us get better. They understand just fine. Besides, they're growing up."

Tifa chuckled lightly at his comment and swatted his shoulder. "Don't tell me that. It makes me sad." Then she looked into his green eyes, and with sincerity said, "Thanks Cloud. Thanks for being there for me."

"Anytime" He smiled, knowing there was so much more to that statement then one might think. "So do you know what's going on with Yuffie and Vincent?"

Tifa smiled and got up from Cloud's lap, she walked into the kitchen, looking for something to prepare for dinner. "No, I didn't even know they weren't talking. But from what I saw today, they clearly are not happy with each other. I just can't decide if it's from today or five years ago."

"Hm, well Vincent was all business today. He's liked a closed book."

Tifa laughed loudly at that statement, "HE'S like a closed book!" Cloud chuckled lightly with her.

"Who's a closed book?" Tifa and Cloud turned quickly towards the staircase and saw Yuffie standing in the doorway. Her hair had been dried, and the same outfit she had been wearing was back on.

"Cloud of course." Tifa attempted a smiled, hoping Yuffie would return it.

She did, "It's true, it took me years to figure you out and the only thing I learned was that you were crazy." Tifa laughed again, enjoying the teasing of Cloud.

"Hey, gotta keep the mystery." Cloud said with an upturned eyebrow and mischievous glint, and with that, he walked out of the kitchen.

"Was that a joke, been a long time since I've seen him joke." Yuffie stated, sitting at the counter. Tifa smiled, continuing to take stock of what was in the fridge. "Listen, I'm sorry about earlier, I was just upset. There's no reason I should be upset at you when you've been so nice to me." Yuffie looked down at the counter top, not wanting to see Tifa's mothering look.

"It's all good. I wasn't a very good hostess myself this morning, so don't worry about it. Hey, we were supposed to go shopping and get you new clothes. Let's go and we'll have Cloud fix dinner. It's about time he contributed anyway."

Yuffie laughed and jumped off the stool. "Alright, that's what I'm talking about!"

* * *

A/N: I know! Usually I update faster but life kind of got in the way. I'm sure you understand. Hope you enjoyed!


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